(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a photosensitive material for electrophotography, which contains an organic phosphite compound as an agent for preventing light-degradation.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
In general, Carlson type electrophotographic process comprises the steps of electrifying the surface of photosensitive material for electrophotography in the dark, subjecting the electrified surface to image-exposure to form electrostatic latent image, developing the electrostatic latent image with dry type or wet type toner, transferring the developed toner image on a plain copy paper and fixing the image. The photosensitive material used in this type of electrophotographic process is required to have good electrification properties, high sensitivity, small dark decay, small residual potential after exposure, and stable electrostatic properties during repeated use. There is known an organic type electrophotographic photosensitive material which comprises, on an electroconductive substrate, a charge generating layer containing an organic charge generating material such as azo pigment, perylene pigment or the like as the main component and a charge transfer layer containing a charge transfer material, for example, an electron doner compound such as polyvinyl carbazole (PVK) or an electron acceptor compound such as trinitrofluorenone (TNF) as the main component. These organic photosensitive materials satisfy the above mentioned requirements to some extent, but they have photomemory effect. It is therefore very difficult to produce a stable image of high density because various properties, such as surface potential, rising properties of potential at the initial stage of electrification and dark decay, produced in the steps of electrification and exposure after being irradiated with light of high intensity, largely change (or are lowered) as compared with those before being irradiated with light (this phenomenon is called as "preflashing degradation"). These defects are produced also by light-degradation during practical use (running). As mentioned above, these conventional organic photosensitive materials severely suffer from degradation by light (light-degradation), and therefore they must be handled in the dark, which causes inconvenience. Moreover, there was a problem that the electrophotographic properties of these conventional photosensitive materials deteriorate by repeated use.
On the other hand, under the consideration that these defects are caused by ultra-violet ray or ozone during exposure or electrification, the addition of a benzotriazole type, benzophenone type or other ultra-violet ray absorbers, phenylene diamine type agent for preventing degradation by ozone, phenol type antioxidant, pentavalent organic phosphorous compound type agent for preventing light-degradation and the like has been tried. However, satisfactory results could not be obtained.